Touch sensor with linearized response

ABSTRACT

A field linearization pattern and a touch sensor incorporating same are disclosed. The touch sensor includes a polygonal field linearization pattern disposed around a touch sensitive area. The field linearization pattern includes a first side and a second side that intersect at a first corner. The field linearization pattern further includes an inner row and an outer row of discrete conductive segments. The inner row includes a conductive corner segment at the first corner. The conductive corner segment extends along a portion of the first and second sides of the linearization pattern. The touch sensor further includes electronics configured to detect a location of an input touch applied to the touch sensitive area by generating an electrical current in the linearization pattern. A current flowing from the first side to the second side of the linearization pattern is substantially confined within the linearization pattern.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to linearizing an electric field on anelectrically resistive film. The invention is particularly applicable tolinearizing an electric field in a touch sensitive area of a touch panelby forming an electrode pattern around a perimeter of the touchsensitive area.

BACKGROUND

Touch screens allow a user to conveniently interface with an electronicdisplay system. For example, a user can carry out a complicated sequenceof instructions by simply touching the screen at a location identifiedby a pre-programmed icon. The on-screen menu may be changed byre-programming the supporting software according to the application.

Resistive and capacitive are two common touch sensing methods employedto detect the location of a touch input. Resistive technology typicallyincorporates two resistive films as part of an electronic circuit thatdetects the location of a touch. Capacitive technology, on the otherhand, typically uses a single resistive film to detect the location ofan applied touch.

A touch location is generally determined by applying an electric fieldto a resistive film in the touch sensitive area. Where the transparentconductor is an electrically continuous coating in the touch area, theaccuracy of detecting the location of an applied touch depends on thelinearity of the electric field in the transparent conductor.

Various methods have been proposed to linearize the electric field. Forexample, in a four wire resistive touch technology, a pair of highlyconductive continuous electrode bars are formed onto a resistive film attwo opposite edges of a touch sensitive surface. A differential voltageapplied to the two conductive bars results in a fairly linear electricfield in the plane of the resistive film in the direction normal to thetwo electrode bars. Similarly, a second pair of highly conductiveelectrode bars are formed on a second resistive film with the bars beingorthogonal to the first pair of bars.

As another example, five wire resistive or capacitive touch sensorstypically employ an electrode pattern along the perimeter of a touchsensitive area to linearize the field. In a five wire resistive touchsensor, a second transparent conductor typically acts as a current sinkor voltage probe and does not require linearization. In a five wirecapacitive touch sensor, a user's finger or other conductive implementmay provide the current sink. The electrode pattern is typically made upof a number of discrete conductive segments positioned in such a way asto generate a linear orthogonal field in the plane of the transparentresistive film.

Typically, the linearizing electrode pattern includes several rows ofdiscrete conductive segments positioned along the perimeter of a touchsensitive area, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,198,539;4,293,734; and 4,371,746. The conductive segments are typicallyelectrically connected to each other via a resistive film they aredeposited on. U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,957 discloses rows of discreteelectrodes having varying lengths and spacings to linearize the electricfield in a touch area.

Several factors can determine the efficacy of a linearization pattern.One such factor is the degree to which the field can be linearized. Someelectrode patterns may be incapable of linearizing the field to a levelrequired in a given application.

Another factor is the end-to-end resistance of an electrode pattern,which can be measured, for example, in a rectangular electrode pattern,by applying a voltage to the two corners of one edge of the pattern, andapplying a different voltage to the two corners of the opposite edge,and measuring the current that flows between the two edges. A lowervalue of end-to-end resistance in an electrode pattern typically yieldsbetter linearity. A lower end-to-end resistance, however, can increasesignal drive requirements and may reduce device sensitivity.Accordingly, a high end-to-end resistance is often desirable whendesigning an electrode pattern.

Another factor is sensitivity of field linearity to small variations inthe electrode pattern. Such variations are typically unavoidable duringmanufacturing. If small variations in the electrode pattern result inunacceptable nonlinearity in the electric field, the yield and hence thecost of manufacturing a touch sensor may be adversely affected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Generally, the present invention relates to linearizing an electricfield in an electrically resistive film. The present invention alsorelates to linearizing an electric field in a touch sensitive area of atouch panel.

In one aspect of the invention, a touch sensor includes a resistive filmcovering a touch sensitive area. The touch sensor further includes atleast two polygonal parallel rows of discrete conductive segmentsdisposed on the resistive film and surrounding the touch sensitive area.Each edge of each row includes one or more middle conductive segmentsdisposed between two end conductive segments. The end conductivesegments at each polygon vertex in the outermost row are disjoined inthe outermost row. The end conductive segments at each polygon vertex inat least one inner row are joined in the inner row. The touch sensorfurther includes electrically conductive interconnect lines connected toeach of the end conductive segments in the outermost row forcommunicating signals to and from the resistive film for detecting aninput touch applied to the touch sensitive area.

In another aspect of the invention, a touch sensor includes a resistivefilm that covers a touch sensitive area. The touch sensor furtherincludes two polygonal parallel rows that surround the touch sensitivearea including an inner row and an outermost row. The inner row includesan electrically insulative corner segment in the resistive film at eachvertex of the inner row. The outermost row includes an electricallyconductive corner segment disposed on the resistive film at each vertexof the outermost row. Each corner segment at a polygon vertex extendsalong a portion of each of the two edges intersecting at the polygonvertex. The touch sensor further includes electrically conductiveinterconnect lines that are connected to the conductive corner segmentsfor communicating signals to and from the resistive film for detectingan input touch applied to the touch sensitive area.

In another aspect of the invention, a touch sensor includes a resistivefilm that covers a touch sensitive area. The touch sensor furtherincludes at least one polygonal parallel row of discrete conductivesegments disposed on the resistive film and surrounding the touchsensitive area. Each edge of each row includes one or more middleconductive segments disposed between two end conductive segments. Theend conductive segments at a first vertex in the outermost row arejoined at the first vertex to form a conductive corner segment. Thetouch sensor further includes an electrically insulative segment in theresistive film positioned along and oriented inward of the outermost rowand proximate the first vertex. The insulating segment partially extendsparallel to each of the two sides of the outermost row that intersect atthe first vertex.

In another aspect of the invention, an article includes an electricallyresistive film. The article further includes two polygonal parallel rowsof discrete conductive segments disposed on the resistive film. Each rowhas a conductive corner segment at a same vertex of the polygon. Eachcorner segment extends along a portion of each of the two edges thatintersect at the vertex. The article further includes an electricallyinsulative region between the two corner segments.

In another aspect of the invention, a touch sensor includes a polygonalfield linearization pattern disposed around a touch sensitive area. Thefield linearization pattern includes a first side and a second side thatintersect at a first corner. The field linearization pattern furtherincludes an inner row and an outer row of discrete conductive segments.The inner row includes a conductive corner segment at the first corner.The conductive corner segment extends along a portion of the first andsecond sides of the linearization pattern. The touch sensor furtherincludes electronics configured to detect a location of an input touchapplied to the touch sensitive area by generating an electrical currentin the linearization pattern. A current flowing from the first side tothe second side of the linearization pattern is substantially confinedwithin the linearization pattern.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention may be more completely understood and appreciated inconsideration of the following detailed description of variousembodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic top-view of a touch sensor;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic top-view of two resistive paths betweentwo discrete conductive segments of a linearization pattern;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic top-view of a portion of a touch sensorin accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic top-view of a portion of a touch sensorin accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic side-view of an optical system inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic top-view of a portion of a touch sensorin accordance with another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic top-view of a portion of a touch sensorin accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

Unless otherwise indicated all figures and drawings in this document areschematic, dimensions are not to scale, and are chosen for the purposeof illustrating different embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, indescribing the different embodiments of the invention, position ofelements is sometimes described in terms of “top”, “bottom”, “left”, and“right.” These terms are used merely to simplify the illustration ofdifferent elements of the invention, such as those illustrated indrawings. They should not be understood to place any limitations on theuseful orientation of the elements of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention generally relates to linearizing an electric fieldin an electrically resistive film by forming an electrode pattern ontothe resistive film. The invention is particularly applicable to touchsensors employing an electrode pattern for linearizing the electricfield in a touch sensitive area in order to more accurately determinethe location of an applied touch.

A touch screen functions on the general principle that an otherwise openelectrical circuit is closed when a touch is applied. The properties ofa signal generated in the closed circuit allows detection of a touchlocation. Various technologies may be employed to detect a touchlocation. One such technology is resistive. In a resistive touch, anapplied touch brings two otherwise physically separated resistive filmsinto direct physical contact with one another. The physical contactcloses an otherwise open electronic circuit, thereby resulting ingeneration of a resistively coupled electrical signal. The properties ofthe generated signal allow detection of the touch location.

Capacitive is another technology commonly used to detect location of atouch. In this case, a signal is generated when a conductive touchimplement, such as a user's finger or a conductive stylus, is broughtsufficiently close to a resistive film to allow capacitive couplingbetween the two conductors. Properties of the generated signal allowdetection of the touch location.

The present invention is particularly applicable to touch screensutilizing resistive or capacitive technologies where an electric fieldis linearized in one or more directions in a plane of an electricallyresistive film in a touch sensitive area. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,198,539;4,293,734; 4,371,746; and 4,822,957 disclose linearizing electrodepatterns disposed on a perimeter of a touch sensitive area. Commonlyowned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/169,391 discloses electrodepatterns for improving linearity of a touch panel. The electrodepatterns disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 09/169,391 include rows ofconductive segments disposed on the border of a resistive layer whereevery row has at least two conductive segrnents, each of which faces atleast a portion of three conductive segments in an adjacent row.

The present invention describes a linearization pattern for linearizingan electric field, for example, in a touch sensitive area of a touchsensor. The linearization pattern can be a polygon, having a pluralityof sides, where each two adjacent sides intersect at a polygon vertex.The linearization pattern can be disposed around the touch sensitivearea of the touch sensor. According to one embodiment of the invention,an electrical current flowing between two adjacent sides of thelinearization pattern is substantially confined within the linearizationpattern, resulting in improved field linearity. As such, only a verysmall portion of any current flowing between adjacent sides of thelinearization pattern flows through the touch sensitive area.

The polygonal linearization pattern can include multiple rows ofdiscrete conductive segments, where each row can have the same polygonalshape, and where the rows can be substantially parallel to each other.Each row of the linearization pattern can include a plurality ofdiscrete conductive segments. Furthermore, each row of the linearizationpattern has a plurality of edges, where each two adjacent edges of therow intersect at a row vertex. According to one embodiment of theinvention, an inner row of the linearization pattern can have aconductive corner segment at a vertex of the inner row, where theconductive corner segment extends along a portion of each of the twoadjacent edges that intersect at the vertex.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic top view of a touch panel 100. Touchpanel 100 includes a resistive film 110 that covers a touch sensitivearea 120. Touch sensitive area 120 is defined by a perimeter 130. Touchpanel 100 further includes a linearization pattern 140 disposed onresistive film 110 surrounding touch sensitive area 120. Linearizationpattern 140 can have a polygonal shape, where the polygon has aplurality of sides with adjacent sides intersecting at a polygon vertexand forming a corner. The sides of the linearization pattern may bestraight or curved. Furthermore, the corners of the linearizationpattern can be rounded off. Linearization pattern 140 includes multiplerows of discrete conductive segments which are in electrical contactwith resistive film 110, where the rows can be substantially parallel toeach other. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a first row of conductivesegments 140 and a second row of conductive segments 160. Each rowincludes discrete conductive segments, such as a discrete conductivesegment 121 in first row 150 and a discrete conductive segment 122 insecond row 160. Each row of the linearization pattern has a plurality ofedges. Adjacent edges in a row intersect at a row vertex forming acorner, where the corner can be rounded off. Furthermore, each edge ofeach row can be straight or curved.

In a resistive touch screen, touch sensitive area 120 is typicallyactivated by applying a differential signal across the touch sensitivearea. Such signal can be applied, for example, by applying a voltage V₁to top corners 101A and 101D of the touch sensor, and a differentvoltage V₂ to bottom corners 101B and 101C of the touch panel, resultingin a differential voltage, ΔV, of V₁-V₂ being applied across the touchpanel. As an example, and without loss of generality, V₂ is assumed tobe less than V₁. V₂ is often a ground potential, typically zero volts,although V₂ can be a different potential. V₁ can be any voltage suitablyavailable for use in a touch sensor, generally 10 volts or less,although other voltages can be used.

In contrast, in a capacitive touch screen, touch sensitive area 120 istypically activated by applying a same signal, such as a same voltagesignal, to the four corners 101A-IOlD as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,293,734. In general, a touch input applied to touch sensitive area 120results in a flow of current through the four corners and a voltagedifferential across the touch sensitive area. Without loss of generalityand for ease of illustration, the principles regarding voltagedifferentials, current flows, and linearization of an electric field areillustrated for a voltage differential applied across the touchsensitive area.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the differential voltage ΔV, applied acrosstouch panel 100, can result in a flow of an electrical current throughtouch sensitive area 120. The applied differential voltage can alsoresult in a voltage gradient across touch sensitive area 120.Preferably, the differential voltage results in a linear field in touchsensitive area 120, meaning that equipotential lines are straight andare preferably oriented along the x-axis. An example of such anequipotential line is dashed line 123 in FIG. 1. By definition, allpoints on line 123 have the same potential, some voltage in the rangefrom V₁ to V₂. Line 123 is preferably straight and substantiallyparallel to the x-axis within touch sensitive area 120. Accordingly,exemplary current flow lines 115A, 115B and 115C, in touch sensitivearea 120, are normal to line 123 and parallel to the y-axis. Under suchconditions, any current flowing in touch sensitive area 120 flows fromtop-side 140A of linearization pattern 140 to bottom-side 140C oflinearization pattern 140. Accordingly, top-side 140A and bottom-side140C may be viewed as current source and sink, respectively, for currentflowing through touch sensitive area 120.

Furthermore, the voltage gradients along sides 140B and 140D oflinearization pattern 140 preferably match the voltage gradient in touchsensitive area 120. In such a case, equipotential lines, such asequipotential line 123, remain straight outside touch sensitive area 120(not shown in FIG. 1). As such, diagonal currents, such as current 117Aand 1117D, are eliminated or substantially reduced even outside touchsensitive area 120. Accordingly, touch sensitive area 120 can beexpanded.

In known linearization patterns, current flowing through touch sensitivearea 120 often has a component that flows along the x-axis, asillustrated by current lines 117A, 117B, 117C and 117D, resulting in anonlinear current and electric field. Such non-linear current existsparticularly near the perimeter 130 of touch sensitive area 120, andeven more particularly, near the corners of the touch sensitive area120. Current nonlinearity close to top corners of the touch sensitivearea results in a bowing of equipotential lines near the top-edge 130Aand bottom-edge 130C of touch sensitive area 120. One such equipotentialline is dashed line 123A in FIG. 1.

According to one embodiment of the invention, field linearity in a touchsensitive area is improved by reducing the potential at the top corners130-1 and 130-2 of touch sensitive area 120 relative to the potential ata top middle 130-3 of the touch sensitive area by, for example, reducingthe resistance of a resistive path at a corner of linearization pattern140 where the resistive path lies within the linearization pattern.

Currents flowing within top-side 140A of linearization pattern 140culminate in currents flowing through the touch sensitive area. Forexample, currents 116A and 116G primarily flow within and along top-side140A and give rise to, for example, currents 115A, 115B and 115C intouch sensitive area 120. Similarly, currents flowing in touch sensitivearea 120 terminate in currents that flow primarily along and withinbottom-side 140C of linearization pattern 140. For example, currents115A, 115B and 115C give rise to currents 116C, 116D and 116E flowingprimarily along and within bottom-side 140C.

Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the invention, any currentflowing within left and right sides of linearization pattern 140 areprimarily confined within the linearization pattern. For example,currents 116B and 116F flow along the y-axis and are substantiallyconfined within the right and left sides of linearization pattern 140,respectively. Such confinement can improve field linearity, especiallyalong the perimeter of the touch sensitive area, and even moreparticularly at the corners of the touch sensitive area.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a path connecting twoconductive segments on either side of a corner of a linearizationpattern is more resistive for a path through touch sensitive area 120than a path lying within linearization pattern 140. As such, more of acurrent flowing between the two conductive segments flows within thelinearization pattern than through the touch sensitive area, resultingin improved field linearity.

For example, FIG. 2 illustrates two resistive paths 136A and 136Bbetween two conductive segments 160A-1 and 160D-1, where the twoconductive segments are two exemplary discrete conductive segments inlinearization pattern 140. In particular, resistive element 160D-1 isdisposed on the left edge of second row 160 and resistive element 160A-1is disposed on the top edge of second row 160, where top and left edgesof row 160 intersect at vertex 105. Resistive path 136A goes throughtouch sensitive area 120. Resistive path 136B, on the other hand, lieswithin linearization pattern 140. According to one embodiment of theinvention, path 136A is more resistive than path 136B. Accordingly, mostof a current flowing between the two segments 160A-1 and 160D-1 flowsalong path 136B, and only a small portion of such current flows alongpath 136A. Therefore, nonlinear currents, such as current 117C aresubstantially reduced or eliminated.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic top view of a portion of a touch sensor300 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Touch sensor 300includes a resistive film 110 that covers a touch sensitive area 120.Touch sensitive area 120 has a perimeter 130. Touch sensor 300 furtherincludes a linearization pattern 340 disposed on resistive film 110.Linearization pattern 340 surrounds touch sensitive area 120.Linearization pattern 340 is a polygon and has multiple sides, withevery two adjacent sides intersecting at a vertex. For example, sides341A and 341B of linearization pattern intersect at vertex 350.Linearization pattern 340 includes multiple polygonal rows of discreteconductive segments. In particular, FIG. 3 shows a first row of discreteconductive segments 320, a second row of discrete conductive segments321, a third row of discrete conductive segments 322, and a fourth rowof discrete conductive segments 323. First row 320 is also the outermostrow of linearization pattern 340. Each of rows 321, 322 and 323 is aninner row of linearization pattern 340. Furthermore, row 323 is also theinnermost row of linearization pattern 340. Each row of linearizationpattern 340 includes multiple edges, with every two adjacent edges in arow intersecting at a vertex. For example, adjacent edges 319A and 319Bof row 320 intersect at vertex 350. For convention, for any two givenrows, the row that is closer to perimeter 109 of resistive film 110 isreferred to as an outer row, and the row that is farther from perimeter109 is referred to as an inner row. The outermost and innermost rowsrefer to the rows closest to and farthest from perimeter 109,respectively.

The polygon may be any polygonal shape, generally a square, a rectangle,or a triangle. Edges of linearization pattern 340 may be straight orcurved. For example, edges of linearization pattern 340 may bow inwardor outward in an arc along each edge.

According to one embodiment of the invention, each edge of each row oflinearization pattern 340 includes one or more middle conductivesegments disposed between two end conductive segments. For example,conductive segments 310A and 310B are two middle conductive segments inoutermost row 320. As another example, conductive segments 320C and 320Dare two end conductive segments of outermost row 320 near vertex 350.

According to one embodiment of the invention, end conductive segments ateach polygon vertex in the outermost row are not joined in the outermostrow 320. For example, end conductive segments 320C and 320D at vertex350 are not joined, meaning that conductive segments do not contact eachother, although the end segments may be electrically connected throughother means such as resistive film 110. As another example, endconductive segments 321C and 321D of row 321 and at vertex 350 aredisjoined in row 321, meaning that the end conductive segments do notphysically touch one another, although they may be electricallyconnected through, for example, resistive film 110.

According to one embodiment of the invention, end conductive segments ateach polygon vertex in an inner row are joined in the inner row. Forexample, end conductive segments 322C and 322D of row 322 and at vertex350 are joined in inner row 322, meaning that the end segments makephysical contact with one another in row 322. In this particularexample, end conductive segments 322C and 322D are joined at vertex 350to form a conductive corner segment 322-1.

According to one embodiment of the invention, one or more segments in agiven row are connected to one or more segments in an adjacent row viaone or more conductive bars. For example, referring to FIG. 3,conductive segment 310A in row 320 is connected to conductive segment321B in row 321 via a conductive bar 313A. Conductive bar 313A ispreferably made of the same material as the conductive segments.Conductive bars preferably have substantially the same sheet resistanceas the conductive segments, although, in some embodiments of the presentinvention, some or all conductive bars can be made of a material and/orhave sheet resistance that is different than those of some or all ofconductive segments.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the number of conductivesegments in a given row may be odd or even. Furthermore, the number ofconductive segments in a given edge of a given row may be odd or even.Furthermore, the separation between a pair of adjacent rows need not beequal to the separation between another pair of adjacent rows. Forexample, referring to FIG. 3, d₁, separation between rows 320 and 321;d₂, separation between rows 321 and 322; and d₃, separation between rows322 and 323; need not be equal, although in some embodiments of theinvention, d₁, d₂ and d₃ may be substantially equal.

Touch sensor 300 further includes electrically conductive interconnectlines for electrically connecting end conductive segments in theoutermost row to electronics 360. For example, FIG. 3 shows anelectrically conductive interconnect line 350A connected to endconductive segment 320C, and an electrically conductive interconnectline 350A connected to end conductive segment 320D. Interconnect linesare typically made from the same material as conductive segments, forexample, a silver frit or paste, and they are typically applied in thesame process, for example, by screen printing. Interconnect lines aredistinct from conductive segments in that, except for their directconnection to the end conductive segments, such as end conductivesegments 320C and 320D, they are preferably electrically isolated fromlinearization pattern 340 and resistive film 110 in touch sensitive area120. Furthermore, the interconnect lines are primarily designed totransmit electrical signal between linearization pattern 340 andelectronics 360 and, as such, they preferably do not directly affectfield linearity. Electronics 360 detects location of an input touchapplied to touch sensitive area 120 by activating touch sensitive area120, for example, by applying one or more signals to one or moreconductive segments in the polygonal parallel rows of discreteconductive segments included in linearization pattern 340. For example,electronics 360 may activate touch sensitive area 120 by applying anelectrical signal, such as a voltage V₁, to electrically conductiveinterconnect lines 350A and 350B. Electrically conductive leads 351A and351B electrically connect electronics 360 to interconnect lines 350A and350B, respectively. Similar connections may be made at other corners oftouch sensor 300 not shown in FIG. 3.

An advantage of touch sensor 300 is improved field uniformity, which canbe described in reference to, for example, discrete conductive segments323A and 323B in innermost row 323. Conductive segments 323A and 323Bare electrically connected via different resistive paths. One such pathis schematically shown by dashed line 325A. Path 325A electricallyconnects conductive segments 323A and 323B through touch sensitive area120. Any current flowing between conductive segments 323A and 323B alongpath 325A can contribute to field nonlinearity in touch sensitive area120, especially near the corners of the touch sensitive area, forexample, the corner at vertex 350. Another path that electricallyconnects conductive segments 323A and 323B is path 325B which includesat least a portion of resistive corner segment 322-1. The electricalresistance of corner segment 322-1 is preferably much less than theresistance of a resistive path through resistive film 110. Accordingly,path 325B is preferably substantially more conductive than path 325A.Under such conditions, most of any electrical current that may flowbetween conductive segments 323A and 323B, flows along path 325B, andonly a small, preferably an insignificant, electrical current flowsbetween the two segments along path 325A, resulting in a linear or morelinear electric field in touch sensitive area 120. Therefore, a flow ofany current from a conductive segment located on side 341A oflinearization pattern 340, such as segment 323A, into touch sensitivearea 120 will be substantially along the y-axis (such as current 117C ofFIG. 1), resulting in a linear field in the touch sensitive area.

According to one embodiment of the invention, conductive corner segment322-1 improves field linearity in touch sensitive area 120 by matchingthe voltage gradient along edge 341B of innermost row 323 oflinearization pattern 340 with equipotential lines in touch sensitivearea 120. This matching of voltage gradients is accomplished becauseconductive corner segment 322-1 provides a resistive path alonglinearization pattern 340 and around vertex 350 that is more conductivethan any resistive path that goes through touch sensitive area 120.

Resistive film 110 can be made of a semiconductor, doped semiconductor,semi-metal, metal oxide, an organic conductor, a conductive polymer, orthe like. Exemplary inorganic materials include conductive oxides, forexample indium tin oxide (ITO), tin antimony oxide (TAO), and the like.Exemplary organic materials include carbon filled inks, and conductivepolymers such as polypyrrole, polyaniline, polyacetylene, andpolythiophene, such as those disclosed in European Patent PublicationEP-1-172-831-A2.

The conductive segments can include a metal such as silver, gold,copper, aluminum, lead, and the like, or a combination of metals. Theconductive segments can include carbon or other additives to make thesegments conductive or more conductive. The conductive segments can bedeposited onto the resistive film using ink jet printing, screenprinting, or any other suitable method for depositing the conductivesegments onto the resistive film. The conductive segments can bepatterned using photolithography, ink jet printing, or any othersuitable patterning method.

According to one embodiment of the invention, different conductivesegments can have different sheet resistance or overall electricalconductivity. For example, the conductive segments in an outer row canbe more conductive than the conductive segments in an inner row. Asanother example, for a given edge in a given row, the end segments canbe more conductive than the middle segments. In general, a conductivesegment can be made more conductive by increasing its width, thickness,or by using a more conductive material to make the segment.

For the purposes of this invention, field linearity is defined in termsof the departure of the field from a linear electric field. Fieldlinearity can further be defined in terms of linearity of equipotentiallines, especially near the linearization pattern. The electric field intouch sensitive area 120 is preferably linearized to within 3%, morepreferably to within 2%, even more preferably to within 1%.

According to one embodiment of the invention, touch sensitive area 120can be activated by applying different magnitude signals, such asvoltages, to different conductive segments of linearization pattern 340.For example, for a rectangular electrode pattern, touch sensitive area120 can be activated by applying a signal, such as a voltage V₁, to twoend conductive segments along one side of linearization pattern 340, anda different signal, such as a voltage V₂, to two end conductive segmentsalong an opposing side of linearization pattern 340. As another example,for a triangular linearization pattern, touch sensitive area 120 can beactivated by applying a first signal, such as a voltage V_(a), to one ormore conductive segments along a first side of the triangularlinearization pattern, a second signal, such as a voltage V_(b), to oneor more conductive segments along a second side of the triangularlinearization pattern, and a third signal, such as a voltage V_(c), toone or more conductive segments along a third side of the triangularlinearization pattern, where the three signals, such as voltages V_(a),V_(b), and V_(c), can be different in magnitude or phase, although insome cases, such as a capacitive touch sensor 300, voltages V_(a),V_(b), and V_(c), can have the same magnitude and phase.

Interconnect lines 350A and 350B may be external wires connected todiscrete segments 320C and 320D, respectively. Interconnect lines 350Aand 350B may be conductive electrodes disposed on resistive film 110,for example, along the perimeter of the resistive film. Interconnectlines are primarily designed to transmit a signal between electronics360 and linearization pattern 340 via end conductive segments 320C and320D. As such, the interconnect lines are preferably isolated from touchsensitive area 120, meaning that end conductive segments 320C and 320Dprovide the primary electrical connection between the interconnect linesand the resistive surface in the touch sensitive area. An example of alayout of an interconnect line is illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic top-view of a portion of a touch sensor400 in accordance with one particular embodiment of the invention. Forease of illustration and without loss of generality, some of theelements or components shown in FIG. 3 are not shown in FIG. 4. Touchsensor 400 includes an electrically conductive interconnect line 450 forelectrically connecting end conductive segments 320C and 320D toelectronics 360. Interconnect line 450 includes an electricallyconductive interconnect line 450A connected to end conductive segment320C, an electrically conductive interconnect line 450B connected to endconductive segment 320D, and an electrically conductive interconnectline 450C connected to interconnect lines 450A and 450B. Touch sensor400 further includes an electrically conductive lead 451 connectingelectronics 360 to interconnect line 450. Touch sensor 400 furtherincludes an electrically insulative part 405 in resistive film 110 forelectrically isolating interconnect line 450 from linearization pattern340 and resistive surface 110 in touch sensitive area 120. As such,conductive end segments 320C and 320D provide the primary electricalconnection between interconnect line 450 and linearization pattern 340and resistive surface 110 in touch sensitive area 120.

Insulative part 405 may be a void in resistive film 110, meaning thatinsulative part 405 may be formed by omitting at least a portion of thematerial forming resistive film 110. Material forming resistive film maybe omitted by, for example, laser ablation, chemical or mechanicaletching, or by masking part 405 during the application of the materialthat forms resistive film 110. Interconnect line 450 may be electricallyisolated from touch sensitive area 120 by, for example, disposing alayer of electrically insulative material between line 450 and resistivefilm 110.

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic top-view of a portion of a touch sensor600 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. Touch sensor600 includes a linearization pattern 635 that surrounds a touchsensitive area 120. Line 130 defines the perimeter of touch sensitivearea. In general, linearization pattern 635 includes at least twopolygonal rows of discrete segments. In particular, FIG. 6 shows a firstrow 610, a second row 620, a third row 630, a fourth row 640, and afifth row 650. Each of rows 620, 630, 640 and 650 is an inner row oflinearization pattern 635. Furthermore, row 650 is the innermost row oflinearization pattern 635, and row 610 is the outermost of thelinearization pattern 635.

According to one embodiment of the invention, outermost row 610 includesa conductive corner segment 611 disposed on resistive film 110 at acorner 615 of row 610. The exemplary conductive corner segment 611 islocated at a vertex 605 of row 610. In general, conductive cornersegment 611 is positioned at a corner 615 of touch sensor 600.Conductive corner segment 611 is disposed on resistive film 110 and hasa first length 611A that extends along a portion of edge 610A ofoutermost row 610, and a second length 611B that extends along a portionof edge 610B of outermost row 610. In general, conductive corner segment611 at polygon vertex 605, extends along a portion of each of the twoedges 610A and 610B intersecting at polygon vertex 605. First length611A may be viewed as a conductive end segment in edge 610A. Similarly,second length 611B may be viewed as a conductive end segment in edge610B. Accordingly, conductive corner segment 611 may be viewed asconductive end segments 611A and 611B being joined at vertex 605. Touchsensor 600 can further include additional conductive corner segments atother corners of outermost row 610. For example, touch sensor 600 caninclude a conductive corner segment at each vertex of outermost row 610.

There may be additional conductive corner segments in one or more innerrows of touch sensor 600. For example, FIG. 6 shows a conductive cornersegment 641 positioned at a corner 615 of touch sensor 600. Inparticular, conductive corner segment 641 is located at vertex 605 offourth row 640 and extends along a portion of each of the two edges 640Aand 640B that intersect at polygon vertex 605.

Touch sensor 600 further includes an insulative corner segment 621 inresistive film 110. Insulative corner segment 621 may be a omission inresistive film 110, meaning that insulating part 621 may be formed byomitting at least a portion of the material forming resistive film 110.Material forming resistive film may be omitted by, for example, laserablation, photolithography, or chemical or mechanical etching.

In general, insulative corner segment 621 at polygon vertex 605, extendsalong a portion of each of the two edges 620A and 620B intersecting atpolygon vertex 605. Insulative corner segment 621 has a first length621A that extends along a portion of edge 620A of second row 620, and asecond length 621B that extends along a portion of edge 620B of secondrow 620. First length 621A may be viewed as an insulative end segment inedge 620A. Similarly, second length 621B may be viewed as an insulativeend segment in edge 620B. Accordingly, insulative corner segment 611 maybe viewed as insulative end segments 621A and 621B being joined atvertex 605. Electrically insulative corner segment 621 is positionedalong and oriented inward of the outermost row 610 and proximate vertex605, partially extending parallel to edges 610A and 610B, that is, eachof the two sides of the outermost row 610 intersecting at vertex 605.

Insulative segment 621 is preferably substantially less conductive thanconductive corner segment 611. In general, insulative corner segment 621serves to at least partially and electrically isolate the outer side653A of the insulating corner segment 621 from the inner side 653B ofthe insulating corner segment 621.

FIG. 7 illustrates electrical isolation of the inner-side 653B ofinsulating corner segment 621 from the outer-side 653A of the cornersegment. FIG. 7 shows three exemplary electrical paths between a point“A” located on outer side 653A of insulating corner segment 621 and apoint “B” on inner side 653B of insulating corner segment 621. Path 680Agoes around first length 621A of insulating corner segment 621, path680C goes around second length 621B of insulating corner segment 621,and path 680B intersects and goes through the insulating corner segment621. According to one embodiment of the invention, insulating cornersegment 621 at least partially and electrically isolates point “A” frompoint “B”, meaning that paths 680A and 680C are substantially moreconductive than path 680B. Accordingly, most of any current that mayflow from point “A” to point “B”, flows through paths 680A and/or 680C,and only a small portion of any current that may flow from point “A” topoint “B” flows through path 680B. Referring back to FIG. 6, insulatingcorner segment serves to reduce the electrical conductivity of anelectrical path from corner conductive segment 611 to corner 615 oftouch sensitive area 120. Accordingly, the potential at corner 615 oftouch sensitive area 120 is reduced leading to a lessening of bowing inequipotential lines (see, for example, line 123A in FIG. 1) and animprovement in field linearity in touch sensitive area 120.

Referring back to FIG. 6, row 620 may further include additionalresistive or insulative segments. For example, either or both segments621-1 and 621-2 in row 620 may be electrically resistive or insulative.Furthermore, other rows of touch sensor 600 may include insulatingsegments, for example, insulative corner segments. According to oneparticular embodiment of the invention, touch sensor 600 may have anelectrically insulative corner segment at one or more corners of thetouch sensor. For example, touch sensor 600 may have an insulativecorner segment at each corner of second row 620. Furthermore, the onlysegments in row 620 may be insulative corner segments.

Touch sensor 600 further includes an electrically conductiveinterconnect line 660 connected to resistive corner segment 611,electronics 360, and electrically conductive lead 370 for electricallyconnecting interconnect line 660 to electronics 360. Lead 370 may beconnected directly to auxiliary electrode 660 (not shown in FIG. 6).Interconnect line 660 is preferably isolated from resistive film 110 intouch sensitive area 120.

Electronics 360 detects a location of an input touch applied to touchsensitive area 120 by applying an electrical signal to resistive cornersegment 611 via electrically conductive interconnect line 660.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic top view of a portion of a touch sensor700 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. Forsimplicity and without loss of generality, some of the elements andcomponents discussed in reference to other embodiments of the invention(such as electronics and interconnect lines) are not shown in FIG. 7.Touch sensor 700 includes a resistive film 110 that covers a touchsensitive area 120. Touch sensitive area 120 has a perimeter 130. Touchsensor 700 further includes a linearization pattern 740 disposed onresistive film 110. Linearization pattern 740 surrounds touch sensitivearea 120. Linearization pattern 340 is a polygon and has multiple sides,with every two adjacent sides intersecting at a vertex. For example,sides 740A and 740B of linearization pattern 740 intersect at a vertex705. Linearization pattern 740 includes multiple rows of discreteconductive segments. In particular, linearization pattern 740 includes afirst row of discrete conductive segments 710, a second row of discreteconductive segments 720, a third row of discrete conductive segments730, and a fourth row of discrete conductive segments 750. Each row oflinearization pattern 740 includes multiple edges, with every twoadjacent edges in a row intersecting at a row vertex. For example,adjacent edges 750-1 and 750-2 of row 750 intersect at vertex 705.Furthermore, each edge of each row includes one or more middleconductive segments disposed between two end conductive segments. Forexample, discrete conductive segment 751 is a middle conductive segmentin row 750, and discrete conductive segment 750A is an end conductivesegment in the same row.

According to this preferred embodiment of the invention, conductive endsegments 710A and 7101B in the outermost row 710 and at vertex 705 aredisjoined in row 710, meaning that the two end segments do notphysically contact each other. Furthermore, conductive end segments 720Aand 720B in row 720 and at vertex 705 are disjoined in row 720.Conductive end segments 730A and 730B in row 730 and at vertex 705 arejoined in row 730 and form an L-shape corner segment 731 at vertex 705.Furthermore, conductive end segments 750A and 750B in row 750 and atvertex 705 are disjoined in row 750.

Touch sensitive area 120 of touch sensor 700 can be activated byapplying a voltage V₁ directly to conductive end segments 710A and 7101B(via interconnect lines not shown in FIG. 7) in the outermost row 710. Anumerical simulation of touch sensor 700 resulted in a field linearityof better than 1% in the touch sensitive area.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic side-view of an optical system 500 inaccordance with one particular embodiment of the invention. Opticalsystem 500 includes a touch sensor 510 according to any embodiment ofthe invention, and a display 520 for displaying information to a viewingposition 530. In particular, touch sensor 510 incorporates alinearization pattern (not shown in FIG. 5) according to any embodimentof the invention for linearizing the field. Touch sensor 510 may be aresistive touch sensor, a capacitive touch sensor, or it may employ anyother touch sensing technology that can benefit from incorporating alinearization pattern according to any embodiment of the invention toimprove field linearity. Examples of display 520 include a liquidcrystal display, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a light emittingdiode display, a plasma display, an organic light emitting display, afield emission display, an electroluminescent display, static printeddisplay, and other suitable image forming displays. Display 520 can begraphics, text, or other indicia displaying information to the viewingposition 530.

All patents, patent applications, and other publications cited above areincorporated by reference into this document as if reproduced in full.While specific examples of the invention are described in detail belowto facilitate explanation of various aspects of the invention, it shouldbe understood that the intention is not to limit the invention to thespecifics of the examples. Rather, the intention is to cover allmodifications, embodiments, and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A touch sensor comprising: a resistive film covering a touchsensitive area; at least two polygonal parallel rows of discreteconductive segments disposed on the resistive film and surrounding thetouch sensitive area, each edge of each row comprising one or moremiddle conductive segments disposed between two end conductive segments,end conductive segments at each polygon vertex in the outermost rowbeing disjoined in the outermost row, end conductive segments at eachpolygon vertex in at least one inner row being joined in the inner row;and electrically conductive interconnect lines connected to each of theend conductive segments in the outermost row for communicating signalsto and from the resistive film for detecting an input touch applied tothe touch sensitive area.
 2. The touch sensor of claim 1 furthercomprising electronics configured to detect a location of the inputtouch by applying an electrical signal to the polygonal parallel rows ofdiscrete conductive segments via the electrically conductiveinterconnect lines.
 3. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein theelectrically conductive interconnect lines are disposed on the resistivefilm.
 4. The touch sensor of claim 2 further comprising an electricallyinsulative part disposed between the interconnect lines and theresistive film.
 5. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the electricallyconductive interconnect lines are discrete wires.
 6. The touch sensor ofclaim 1, wherein the polygon is a rectangle.
 7. The touch sensor ofclaim 1, wherein the polygon is a square.
 8. The touch sensor of claim1, wherein the polygon is a triangle.
 9. The touch sensor of claim 1,wherein an edge of a row bows inward or outward.
 10. The touch sensor ofclaim 1, wherein the resistive surface is non-planar.
 11. The touchsensor of claim 1, wherein the number of conductive segments in a row isodd.
 12. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the number of conductivesegments in an edge of a row is odd.
 13. The touch sensor of claim 1,wherein the number of conductive segments in a row is even.
 14. Thetouch sensor of claim 1, wherein the number of conductive segments in anedge of a row is even.
 15. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein theseparation between a pair of adjacent rows is substantially the same asthe separation between at least one other pair of adjacent rows.
 16. Thetouch sensor of claim 1, wherein the separation between all pairs ofadjacent rows is substantially the same.
 17. The touch sensor of claim1, wherein the resistive film comprises a conductive polymer.
 18. Thetouch sensor of claim 1, wherein a conductive segment in a row isconnected to a conductive segment in an adjacent row via a conductivebar.
 19. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein an electric field in thetouch sensitive area is linearized to within 1%.
 20. A touch sensorcomprising: a resistive film covering a touch sensitive area; twopolygonal parallel rows surrounding the touch sensitive area includingan inner row and an outermost row, the inner row comprising anelectrically insulative corner segment in the resistive film at eachvertex of the inner row, the outermost row comprising an electricallyconductive corner segment disposed on the resistive film at each vertexof the outermost row, each corner segment at a polygon vertex extendingalong a portion of each of the two edges intersecting at the polygonvertex; and electrically conductive interconnect lines connected to theconductive corner segments for communicating signals to and from theresistive film for detecting an input touch applied to the touchsensitive area.
 21. The touch sensor of claim 20 further comprisingelectronics configured to detect a location of the input touch byapplying an electrical signal to the conductive corner segments via theelectrically conductive interconnect lines.
 22. A touch sensorcomprising: a resistive film covering a touch sensitive area; at leastone polygonal parallel row of discrete conductive segments disposed onthe resistive film and surrounding the touch sensitive area, each edgeof each row comprising one or more middle conductive segments disposedbetween two end conductive segments, end conductive segments at a firstvertex in the outermost row being joined at the first vertex to form aconductive corner segment; and an electrically insulative segment in theresistive film positioned along and oriented inward of the outermost rowand proximate the first vertex, the insulating segment partiallyextending parallel to each of the two sides of the outermost rowintersecting at the first vertex.
 23. The touch sensor of claim 22further comprising electronics configured to detect a location of aninput touch applied to the touch sensitive area by applying anelectrical signal to the conductive corner segment.
 24. An articlecomprising: an electrically resistive film; two polygonal parallel rowsof discrete conductive segments disposed on the resistive film, each rowhaving a conductive corner segment at a same vertex of the polygon, eachcorner segment extending along a portion of each of the two edgesintersecting at the vertex; and an electrically insulative regionbetween the two corner segments.
 25. A touch sensor comprising thearticle of claim
 23. 26. A touch sensor comprising: a polygonal fieldlinearization pattern disposed around a touch sensitive area and havinga first side and a second side intersecting at a first corner, the fieldlinearization pattern having an inner row and an outer row of discreteconductive segments, the inner row having a conductive corner segment atthe first corner, the conductive corner segment extending along aportion of the first and second sides of the linearization pattern; andelectronics configured to detect a location of an input touch applied tothe touch sensitive area by generating an electrical current in thelinearization pattern, wherein a current flowing from the first side tothe second side of the linearization pattern is substantially confinedwithin the linearization pattern.